Curbing for flower-beds



No. 649,352. Patented. Feb. I4, |899.

' P. scHAEFEn.

CURBING .FOR FLUWER BEDS.

(Application filed June 29, 1898.) (No Nudel.)

lull' UNTTnD STATES PATENT GFFIGE.

PETER SCHAEFER, OF ST. PETER, MINNESUTA.

CURBING FOR FLOWER-BEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 619,352, dated February 14, 1899.

Application flied June 29.1898. Serial No. 684,721. (N0 DlOdSL) fo all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, PETER SCHAEFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Peter, in the county of Nicollet and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Curbing for Flower-Beds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a curbing or border for flower-beds which is adapted to be arranged upon the surface of the soil where a flower-bed is desired, but which is so constructed as to prevent the filtering of the earth through the wall.

The objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a curbing or wall constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slightly-different form of curbing. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of connected portions of two adjoining sections of the wall. Fig. i is a horizontal section through the joint between two connected members of the wall.

Similar numerals of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the figures of the draw ings.

As above indicated, the curbing or wall elnbodying my invention is of sectional construction, the same comprising separate members 1, preferably provided with upper and lower anges 2 and 3, and hence being reversible, said flanges in the construction illustrated projecting outwardly from the plane of the wall sections or members, but being flush at their inner edges with the inner surfaces of the wall members. The contiguous ends of adjoining wall-sections are provided, respectively, between the planes of said upper and lower anges with a rabbet or countersunk recess 4,approximately equal in depth to the thickness of the wall, and ears 5, equal in thickness to the depth of said rabbet or recess and adapted to fit therein with their inner surfaces flush with the inner surface of the wall. To accommodate the ears 5, the adjacent end of the adjoining wall-section is provided between the planes of its upper and lower flanges 2 and 3 with an outward enlargement or bulge 6, of which the outer surface is flush with the outer edges of the flanges, and said enlargement and the ears 5 are provided with registering bolt-openings, through which extend the removable securing-bolts 7, tted with nuts S.

The peculiar construction of the joint between the adjoining members of the wall or curbing gives the requisite strength to prevent relative displacement of the parts, first, because of the enlargement of the recessed or rabbeted extremity and the interlocking therewith of the ears on the extremity of the adjoining member, and, second, because of the fact that the ears and rabbets or recesses are formed between the planes of the upper and lower lian ges of the wall members, whereby the remote edges of said ears bear against the end walls of the rabbet or recess and by preventing relative vertical displacement of the wall members relieve the securing-bolts of strain in this direction.

The structure embodying my invention may be made either in the rectangular form indicated in Figs. l, 3, and 4 or in the circular form illustrated in Fig. 2 or in any other analogous forms, the joint between connected sections, however, remaining the same in all eases and being such as to maintain the wall members, when connected, in their normal relative positions. In the construction illustrated in Figs. l, 3, and 4 the joint between the adjoining members is made slightly to one side of the angle, whereby each angle of the wall is made wholly in one of the wall members. This is preferable for the reason that it provides for a flat bearing of the eX- terior surfaces of the ears against the floor of the rabbet or recess and at the same time provides for a fiat bearing of the bolt-nuts against the inner surfaces of the ears. Thus each wall member of the construction illustrated in Figs. l, 3, and 4 is provided with an elbow, of which the short arm terminates in an ear or ears approximately equal in thickness with the body portion of the wall between the upper and lower flanges and flush with the inner surface of said arm, while the long arm is rabbeted at its inner side and is enlarged at its outer side also between the horizontal planes of the upper and lower IOO flanges 2 and 3 to form a recess for the reception of the. securing ear or ears on the contiguous 'fid of the adjoining wall-section.

This curbing or wall is adapted particularly for use in constructing flower beds which are raised above the surface of the surrounding soil, such as that of a laWn,and may also be used for building flower-beds around grave-mounds, &c., a particular feature of advantage residing in the fact that it is portable by reason of its knockdown construction and that it 'may be filled with fertile soil particularly adapted for the purpose of raising iowers.

Changes in the form, size, proportion, and the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention. 4

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A sectional curbing or wall for flowerbeds, comprising a series of detachable members, the contiguous extremities of adjoining members being provided respectively with an interior rabbet or recess and a coextensive exterior enlargement, and with an ear fitting in said rabbet or recess, and securing-bolts engaging registering openings in the overlapping portions of said wall members, substantially as specified.

2. A sectional curbing or wall for iiowerbeds, comprising detachably-connected reversible members provided With upper and lower outwardly-projecting flanges, the contiguous ends of adjoining members being overlapped and provided respectively with an interior rabbet or recess, and an ear fitting in said rabbet or recess iush with the inner surfaces of the wall members, said rabbet and ear being arranged between the horizontal plane of said upper and lower flanges of said wall members, and securing-bolts engaging registering openings "in the overlapped portions of the wall members, substantially a specified.

3. A sectional curbing or wall for flowerbeds, each Wall member being provided with an elbow or bend and having arms terminating respectively in a rabbet or recess 4, and projecting ears 5, to fit in the rabbet or recess of an adjoining wall member, and means for defachably securing said ears in the rabbets or recesses, substantially as specified.

Il. As an article of manufacture, a curbing or wall member provided at an intermediate point with an elbow, and having long and short arms of which the former terminates in an interior rabbet or recess, and the latter in an ear, liush with the inner surface of the arm and equal in depth with said rabbet or recess, said arms being provided respectively with bolt-openings formed in the ear and the iioor of the rabbet or recess, substantially as specilied.

` 5. A sectional curbing or wall for flowerbeds, comprising detachable members having overlapping extremities interlocked to prevent relative vertical movement, one of the overlapped extremities having a tongue, and the other a recess accessible to the tongue by lateral movement thereof, and bolts engaging the overlapped portions of said members for my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER SCI-IAEFER.

Witnesses:

J. G. TEGNER, A. R. DAVIS. 

